Pneumatic conveyer



Noi 10, 1942. J; E wHrrFlELD 2,301,350

PNEUMATIC CONVEYER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 4. 1941 Nov. 10, 1942'.`J. wT-nTFn-:|...r.k 2,361,350

PNEUMATIC CONVEYER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Deo'. 4, '1941 lNvENToRATTORNEY 4 sheets-sheet 5 lNv NT R BY f A'roRNEY Nov. 10, 1942.

Filed Dec. 4, 1941 Patented Nev. 10,1942 l UNITEDl STATES PATENT oFFlcEPNEUMATIC coNvEYER 'y Joseph E. Whitfield, Hamilton, Ohio applicationDecember 4, 1941, serial 1510.421586 (C1. 3oz- 23) 9 claims.

'I'his invention relates generally to uid current conveyers and moreparticularly to apparatus for by-passing the blower in a combinedsuction and pressure pneumatic conveyer.

This invention may be advantageously employed for conveying granularmaterial, such as cereals, wools, articial and natural, and othermaterials that may be pneumatically transported. Y

The principal object of this invention is the provision of apparatus forby-passing the material being conveyed around the fan or blowerrepresents an outer cylindrical casing oi the bypass member which isprovided with the legs 2 supporting the same. The head 3 at one end ofthe cylindrical casing I is formed integral therewith, while the otherend of the cylindrical casing is provided with the removable head 4. Theheads 3 and 4 each carry the bearing structures 5 without cracking,breaking, or otherwise disturb-4 Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken onthe line 2 2 of Fig. 1. v

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of a modied form of the structurecomprising this invention, wherein the conveying medium follows acircuitous path through the apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken along the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a view of the blower suction connection of the by-passapparatus.

Fig. 6 is a View of the blower pressure connection of the by-passapparatus.

Fig. 7 is an interior view of a yportion of the annular wall of therotary by-pass member.

Fig. 8I is a sectional isometric View with parts lbroken awayillustrating the annular portion of the rotary by-pass member.

Fig. 9 is a side elevation partly broken away of one of the spokes ofthe rotary by-pass member.

Fig. l0 is an end elevation of the spokes illustrated in Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a view in horizontal section of the spokes illustrated inFig.9.

Fig. P12 is a top plan view showing an end plate of the rotary by-passmember.

aligned with the axial center of the cylindrical casing l.

A shaft 6 is rotatably supported between the bearing structures 5 andhas secured thereto the cylindrical rotary by-pass member l which ismade up in an outer cylindrical wall 8 connected with the hub 9 by meansof the radial partitions or spokes I0 forming the triangular shapedpockets II.

The ends of the cylindrical member 'I are provided with the opposedradially disposed flanges 'l2 and I3, thereby partially closing thepockets.

I I in forming the triangularly shaped openings I4. An annular plate I5has openings I'I matching the openings I4 of the end of the cylinder 'Iand is provided with a central opening to receive -the shaft 6 an-d isarranged to be secured to the right end of the cylindrical member 1 toclamp the screen mesh I6 therebetween.

The heads 3 and 4 are provided with upper andv lower aligned circularopenings. The upper Y left hand opening is arranged to receive theconduit I8 which conducts the air and material being conveyed to thepockets Ii of the cylindrical member 'I as they become 'alignedtherewith. The 'air travels directly through the pockets II out throughthe conduit I9 to the suction side of the blower as illustrated by thedirection of the arrows in Fig. 1. The grain or other material beingconveyed is arrested by the screen I6 and thus falls to the portion ofthe pocket near the l hub.

As the cylindrical member 'I is rotated the loaded pockets in turn aretransferred to the lower portion of the casing I wherein they areinverted and register with the lower aligned openings in the heads 3 and4. The air then returns through the pipe 20 from the pressure side ofthe blower and travels through the screen I6,rcleaning any of thematerial that may be lying thereagainst and conveying the .material fromthe pocket outthrough the conduit 2| to the place where it is to betransported.

When'the pockets II are successively brought into registration with theopenings in the upper portion of the heads 3 and 4 they become filled orpartially filled and carry the inert material Referring to Figs. 1 and 2of the drawings, I 55 to the lower section of the casing' I where therotary member 1 is rotated at a relatively high rate of speed and thepockets Il are only partially lled. However if the material. does nothave the tendency of clogging, the cylindrical member 1 may be rotatedat a relatively low rate of speed and each of the pockets may thereby befilled to a greater degree.

Referring to Figs. 3 to 12 inclusive, the cylindrical casing member 22of the conveyer by-pass apparatus is arranged to stand with its axialcenter in a vertical plane and is closed at the bottom with the head 23formed integral therewith. The head 24 enclosing the upper end of thecylindrical casing 22 is removably mounted thereon. An inlet opening 25is provided in the removable head 24 for conducting the air and thematerial being conveyed into the interior of the by-pass apparatus. Thecasing 22 is provided with a rectangularly shaped manifold 26 forcollecting and discharging the air through the opening 21 to the suctionside of the blower. The manifold 26 is located in the side of the casing22 adjacent the inlet 25 and does not extend to the bottom of thecasing. The integral head 23 is provided with the discharge opening 28disposed on the diagonally opposite side of the device from that of theinlet opening 25 and the casing 22 adjacent thereto is provided with thediagonally disposed manifold 28 having an exterior opening 30 arrangedto be connected to the pressure side of theblower for conveying the airto the left side of the by-pass apparatus where it picks up the materialbeing conveyed and carries it through the discharge opening 28 to theplace where it is to be deposited.

The heads 23 and 24 are provided with suitable bearings aligned with theaxial center of the casing 23 for rotatably supporting the rotary shaft3| which carries the rotary separating member 32.

The rotary separating member 32 is made up of the outer cylindricalmember 33 which is connected by the radial partitions or spokes 34 withthe hub 35 which may be secured to, or formed integral with the shaft3|.

The outer cylindrical member 33 of the rotary separating member` 32 isprovided with radial openings 36 disposed in perimetrally spaced rowsextending longitudinally of the cylindrical mem` ber 33. The continuousand inwardly projecting annular ribs 31 form an extension of theseparation between each of the radially disposed openings 36 in eachrow. The inner edges of these ribs extend'to a common plane and supportthe longitudinally disposed land sections 38, which if completed wouldform an inner cylindrical member but areseparated by the longitudinalgaps 39. The longitudinal axis of each land section 38 is disposed inthe same radial plane as the longitudinal axis passing through 'theopenings in'each row. Thus the air in traveling from within thecylindrical member 33 must provided with a series of outwardly extendingtriangularly shaped ribs 42 which are disposed in the same plane as theribs 31 in the cylinder 33,

thereby segregating each radial opening 36 withV a corresponding spacebetween the ribs 42 of each spoke 34. Oppositely disposed slots 43 areformed in the adjacent faces of the ribs as illustrated in Fig. 10 toreceive a screen 44 slidable in place from the outer end of the spoke,thereby forming a seriesbf compartments 45 on either side of each spoke34. It is preferable to employ individual screen sections 44, aspreviously described. However a single screen covering the whole lengthof a spoke may be welded or otherwise secured to the outer faces of theflanges 42.

After thev screens 44 have been inserted in place the spoke is slidlongitudinally into the grooves 40 of the cylinder 33 and into thegrooves 46 in the hub 35. When all of the spokes have been thusassembled the end plates 41 are secured to the opposite ends of thecylinder 33, thus holding the parts of the rotary separating member 32in assembled position. Thus'the spoke 34, together with the outerextending ribs 42 forming the compartment 45, is segregated by thealigned ribs 31 so that the oppositely disposed compartments 45 betweenadjacent spokes will discharge only through the same radial opening 36.

When the air carrying the material enters the inlet 25 the material isdeposited in the bottom of the registering pocket 4I and the air thentravels sideways through a selected series of compartments 45, passesback around the land sections 38, and is discharged through the openings36 into the manifold 26 of the casing 22 and out the opening 21 to thesuction side of the blower.

The air from the pressure side of the blower then travels through theopening 30 of the arcuately disposed manifold 29 and enters the openings36, on the opposite side of the separator 32, in a progressive seriesfrom the top to the bottom when the separator is being rotated in acounterclockwise direction as shown vin Fig. 3. Thus the top or end ofthe pocket remote to the discharge opening is rst to receive air and asthe separator rotates successive divisions of the screens in each pocketare cleaned by the entry of air. The air first enters each pocket 4I ase l the vertically disposed radial openings 36 come into registrationwith the arcuately disposed manifold 28 and thence between the ribs 31and through thecompartments 45 of the blades forming the pockets. Theair entering into each of the compartments 45 is discharged through thescreens into the pocket associated therewith and blows any material thatmay be clinging to the screens back into the pocket and out thedischarge opening 28. As each pocket proceeds past the arcuate manifold23 each succeeding lower compartment 45 of the pocket receives airpressure in turn, until each screen has ybeen cleaned and the pocket iscompletely emptied.

By thus segregating the compartments 45 along each spoke 34 in thismanner, air is delivered to not more than two compartments 45 on oneside of each pocket 4I at anyone time, as illustrated in Fig. 6. Thisrestriction increases the velocity of the air sufficiently to force thematerial out of and away from the screen, cleaning the same. However thevelocity of the air is reduced as it enters the comparatively largespace of the pocket and is insufiicient to crack or destroy themtaiterial as it-is conveyed upthrough the cond ts.

In the structure illustrated on the drawings Y 2,301,350 each pocket isslightly open to the intake porty before and after the opening 36 isconnected with the intake manifold 26. This condition may be reversedlby relocating the manifold or changing the position and size of theopening36. The choice of exhausting the pocket before or after it is inregistry with the intake port depends upon the character of the materialbeing conveyed.

Again each pocket is open to the discharge port 28 before the top orleading radial opening 36 receives air from thearcuately disposedmanifold 29. Since the arcuately disposed manifold 29 extends equaldistances in each direction from the center thereof the pocket 4|remains open to the discharge port after the air has been shut oitherefrom. This condition is obviously preferable.

This mechanism maybe employed inmost any uid current conveyer systemwhere it is necessary to by-pass the fluid current propelling means. Insome instances itmay be desirable to permanently discharge the fluidcurrent con# veyer mediu mand pick up the matter separated out by theby-pass apparatus with a fresh or different i'luid current conveyermedium. Again the fluid current conveyer medium may be a liquid or a gasinstead of air. In the former instance a liquid pump would be employedas the current propelling means and it may be desirable tovuse two pumpswhere a different liquid is used for continuing the separated matter onits travel than that employed for conveying the matter to the by-passapparatus.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for by-passing material around a blower in a pneumaticconveying .system, the combination of a cylindrical casing closed at itsends, a member tting the inner wall surfaces of and rotatably supportedwithin the casing, radially disposed partitions dividing the v memberinto a series of open-ended pockets extending longitudinally of thecasing, an inlet port in anV end of the casing for the introduction ofair and material into the pockets as they register with said inlet port,screen means for permitting the ow of air but preventing the ow ofvmate-,- rial from the pockets, an outlet port in an end of the casingspaced angularly from the inlet port for the discharge of air andmaterial from the pockets as they.register with the outlet port. meansfor rotating said member to bring the pockets successively into registrywith the inlet and outlet ports, and means for withdrawing air from apocket through the screen means at the inlet position and for forcingair through the pockets at the outlet position for conveying thematerial from the pockets.

2. In apparatus for by-passing material around a blower in a pneumaticconveying system, the combination of a cylindrical casing having headsenclosing the ends thereof, a member tting the inner wall surfaces ofand rotatably supported within the casing, radially disposed partitionsdividing the member into a series of open-ended pockets extendinglongitudinally of the casing, an inlet port in said casing for theintroduction of air and material into the pockets as they register withsaid inlet port, screen means carried by the rotary member forpermitting the flow of air but preventing the ow of material from thepockets, an outlet port in said casing, spaced angularly from the inletport, for the discharge of air and material from the pockets as theyregister with the outlet port, means for rotating said member to bringthe pockets successively into registry with the inlet and outlet ports,and

means for withdrawing air from a pocket through the screen means at theinlet position and for forcing air back through the screen means at theoutlet position for conveying the material from the pockets.

3. In apparatus for by-passing material around a blower in a pneumaticconveying system, a cylindrical casing closed at its ends, a separatingmember fitting the inner. wall surfaces of and rotatably supportedwithin the casing, radially disposed partitions dividing the member intoa series of open-ended pockets extending longitudinally of thecasing, aninlet port in one end of the casing for the introduction of air andmaterial into the pockets as they register with the inlet port, anoutlet port in the other end of the casing spaced angularly from theinlet port for the discharge of air and material from the pockets asthey register with the outlet port, means for rotating said memberto-bring the pockets successively into registry with the inlet andoutlet ports, screen means carried by the member for permitting the flowof air but preventing the flow of material from the pockets, andarcuately spaced manifolds on the casing for withdrawing air through thescreen means from the poclets at the inlet position and conducting it tothe blower and for forcing air from the blower back through the screenmeans to the pockets at the outlet position for conveying material fromthe pockets.

4. In apparatus for by-.passing material around a blower in a pneumaticconveying system, a

cylindrical casing closed at its ends, a separatl ing member fitting theinner wall surfaces of and rotatably supported within the casing,radially disposed partitions dividing the member into a series ofopen-ended pockets extending longitudinally of the casing, an inlet portin one end of the casing'for the introduction of air and material intothe pockets as'they register with the inlet port, an outlet port in theother end of the casing spaced angularly from the inlet port for thedischarge of air and material from the pockets as they register with theoutlet port? means for rotating the member to bring the pocketssuccessively into registry with` the inlet andv outlet ports, screenmeans carriedv by the mern. ber for permitting the flow of air butpreventing the flow of material from the pockets, a manifold on thecasing 'for withdrawing air through the screen means for the full lengthof the pockets when positioned at the inlet and for conducting the airto the blower, and an arcuately disposed manifold on the'casing spacedangularly from the inlet port for conducting air from the blower backthrough the screen means into the pockets,

said arcuately disposed manifold introducting the air at successivepoints from one end of the pocket to the other whenthe pockets arelocated at the outlet position for conveying the material from thepockets. t

5. A separating member for use in a cylindrical casing of a blowerlby-passing apparatus in a pneumatic conveying system comprising acylinder portion and a hub portion connected by partitions forminglongitudinally disposed openended pockets, a land section in each pocketspaced from the cylindrical portion and the partitions, screensextending from the hub to the marginal side edges of the land sectionsdefining the material containing portion of the pockets, plates coveringthe ends of the separating member and having openings defining the endsof the 4corresponding slots on its inner surface for receiving the cuteredges of said partitions to form a series of open-ended pockets disposedlongitudinally of the cylindrical member, screen members covering thepartitions and spaced therefrom, an arcuate land section member in eachpocket concentric to and spaced from the inner surface of thecylindrical member, the side edges of said land sections engaging thescreens and defining the material containing portion of the pockets,radial openings through the wall of the cylindrical memb'er oppositesaid land sections for sucking and blowing air from both sides of thepockets through the screens and around in back of the land sections, andplates embracing the ends of the members and having openings definingthe ends of the pockets. f

7. A separating member for use in a cylindri-v cal casing f a blowerby-passing apparatus in a pneumatic conveying system comprising a rotaryhub member, a cylindrical member, partitions extending between the hubmember and the inner surface of the cylindrical member forming aplurality of open-ended pockets, spaced ribs on the sides of saidpartitions, a land section in each pocket extending between thepartition ribs, spaced arcuate rib sections on the inner surface of thecylindrical member supporting the land sections and aligned with thepartition ribs, screens supported on the partition ribs and extendingfrom the hub member to the marginal sides of the land sections dening.the material containing portion of the pockets, plates covering the endsof the separating member and member fitting the inner wall surfaces ofand rotatably supported within the casing, radially disposed partitionsdividing the member into a series of open-ended pockets extendinglongitudinally of the casing, an inlet port in one end of the casing forthe introduction of air and material into the pockets as they registerwith the' inlet port, an outlet port in the other end of the casingspaced angularly from the inlet port for the discharge of air andmaterial from the pockets as they register with the outlet port, meansfor rotating the member to bring the pockets successively into registrywith the inlet and outlet ports, screen means carried by the member forpermitting lateral flow of air from the pockets but preventing the flowof material when the air is withdrawn, a manifold onthe casing arrangedto withdraw air through the screen means for substantially the fulllength of the pockets when positioned at the inlet and for conductingthe air to the blower, and a diagonally disposed manifold on the casingspaced angularly from the inlet port for conducting air from the blowerback through the screen means into the pockets, said arcuately disposedmanifold cleaning the screen means at successive points from one end ofthe pockets to the other.

9. In apparatus for bypassing material around a blower in a pneumaticconveying system, a cylindrical casing closed at its ends, a separatingmember fitting the inner wall surfaces of and rotatably supportedwithin|the casing, radiallydisposed partitions dividing the member intoa series of open-ended pockets extending longitudinally of the casing,an inlet port in one end of the casing for the introduction of air andmaterial into the pockets as they register with the inlet port, anoutlet port in the other end of the casing spaced angularly from theinlet port for having openings defining the ends of the matevpocketsthrough the screens and independently through the connecting channelsbetween the spaced ribs on the partitions and the cylinder.

8. In apparatus for by-pas'sing material around Y a blower in apneumatic conveying system, a cylindrical casing closed at its ends, aseparating the discharge of air and material from the pockets as theyregister with the outletport, means for rotating the member to bring thepockets successively into registry with the inlet and outlet ports,screen means carried by the member for permitting lateral flow of airfrom the pockets but preventing the ow of material when the air iswithdrawn, a manifold on the casing arranged to withdraw air through thescreen means for substantially the full length of the pockets whenpositioned at the inlet and for from the blower back through the screenmeans into the pockets, said arcuately disposed manifold cleaning thescreen means progressively toward the outlet of the pocket.

JOSEPH E. WHITFIELD.

